The café still leaned to the left. The clock above the counter still insisted on being five minutes wrong. Evelyn arrived on time anyway and took the table in the corner where the light made everyone honest. She ordered tea. She smoothed the paper napkin. She touched the small pendant at her throat like punctuation in a sentence she was about to say.
James came in late and looked early-tired. The suit fit. The face didn't. He saw the necklace first and the rest of her after.
“You wore it," he said, sitting. No greeting.
“It matches the lighting," she said.
“The lighting is bad," he said.
“Then it matches," she said.
A server hovered. “Coffee," James said. “Black."
“Tea for me, thank you," Evelyn said, though the cup was already there. The server retreated.
James folded his hands as
